World GO VEGAN Days Wrap-Up

IDA holds outreach events, awards prize to winner of our e-Card contest

IDA held our 3rd annual World GO VEGAN Days this weekend, and we would like to thank everyone who took part in the celebration and made it such a success. We would especially like to thank our many co-presenters, including The American Vegan Society, Animal Acres, Animal Place, The Animals' Voice, the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights, CAPE, Compassion Over Killing (COK), East Bay Animal Advocates, Farm Animal Reform Movement (FARM), Farm Sanctuary, The Food Empowerment Project, Friends of Animals (FOA), Go Vegan Radio, Grassroots Anthropology, Happy Cow, Mercy for Animals, Organic Athlete, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), ProBar, Tofurky, San Francisco Vegetarian Society, United Poultry Concerns, Veg Dining, VegNews magazine, Vegan Bean, and Vegan Outreach. Everyone involved made this year's World GO VEGAN Days a fun and enlightening experience.

In our eNews last week, we encouraged our readers to enter our World GO VEGAN Days contest by sending friends and family an e-Card emphasizing the benefits of a healthy vegan diet. We are happy to announce that the winner of this contest is Amanda Butcher, who will take home:

• A $50 gift certificate from Alternative Outfitters;
• A $35 gift certificate from Food Fight! vegan grocery; and
• A Compassionate Cooks Vegetarian Cooking DVD.

Congratulations Amanda!

In addition, IDA held World GO VEGAN Days events in Portland and San Francisco this year. IDA staff and volunteers in San Francisco handed out hundreds of IDA vegan starter kits, as well as coupons for delicious Tofurky graciously donated by Turtle Island Foods, outside of the Metreon, a popular downtown entertainment and shopping center. Not surprisingly, the person dressed as a giant cow got the most attention.

From now through the end of the year, the Metreon is presenting a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit highlighting the life and work of the legendary Renaissance artist and inventor. Da Vinci is often referred to as the greatest genius who ever lived, so it is little wonder then that he was a vegetarian, predicting over 500 years ago that "The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men." We like to think that da Vinci would have been proud of the efforts of IDA and our many friends who joined with us on World GO VEGAN Days, and that together we are helping to bring about that compassionate and peaceful future he envisioned.

We are very grateful to everyone who took part in World GO VEGAN Days. You can view photos of IDA's outreach events on our Flickr page, as well as of your own World GO VEGAN Days activities for posting.